HONESTLY can any of us Liverpool FC fans say we are looking forward to this Saturday’s home game against Aston Villa?

HONESTLY can any of us Liverpool FC fans say we are looking forward to this Saturday’s home game against Aston Villa?

The Reds have taken just eight points out of the last 36, sit 34 points behind league leaders Manchester United and to top it off have found themselves in eighth place, trailing Everton.

Somehow the semi-final feels a long way off.

True to form we created chances in the first 15 minutes against Newcastle but once again as soon as we get in the box we run out of ideas. We were lacking in desire and creativity and we crumbled as soon as The Magpies took the lead. Newcastle had momentum and the difference between the two sides, was the finishing.

Then just when you think it can’t get any worse Reina gets dismissed. Maybe something got lost in translation; we’ve already been knocked off our perch Pepe.

Jack Watson, West Derby

GIVEN the club’s recent league form, I wasn’t at all confident of coming away from Newcastle with anything other than a defeat.

Another abject display led to another demoralising defeat which now leaves us looking nervously over our shoulders at Sunderland, Fulham and Swansea.

If Dalglish fails to pick the team up from this latest setback, he could be faced with a bottom-half league finish – the club’s first in England’s top division since 1954.

Everything that could have gone wrong, against Newcastle, did. There were so many problems; Tim Krul was hardly tested, and Andy Carroll’s dive was awful. Without Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger, the defence looks awfully weak.

A win at home to Aston Villa on Saturday is vital if Liverpool are to stay in touch of Everton. The remaining months of the season looked so promising after winning the Carling Cup, but the Reds’ league form has spiralled out of control.

The upcoming Merseyside Derby is the biggest in years. Losing is simply not an option.

Graham Agg, Netherton

THE question all LFC supporters are asking is ‘just when are these Liverpool players going to show some passion and fight?’.

Yet another match versus Newcastle where the opposition have scored first which has resulted in a complete capitulation of a Liverpool team. Where is the leadership from the captain and other senior players, most notably Carragher and Reina?

Kenny Dalglish, naturally, must also take responsibility for a run of six defeats in the last 7 matches and the worst run since 1953/54 season.

Aston Villa at home on Saturday is a match where we need to get back to form and a win and hopefully provide us with some much needed confidence.

With the massive semi-final versus Everton at Wembley just nine days away, it is imperative that the players give 110% to lead the club in to the final and quieten our noisy neighbours who at present are playing with total confidence.

Make no mistake, the LFC support will be fully behind the team, but are the team going to provide 100% effort and commitment and above all show the passion needed to beat Everton?

Paul O'Leary, Allerton

LOSING a 2-0 lead at QPR isn’t good enough, losing at home to Wigan isn’t good enough, losing five out of the last six league games isn’t good enough for LFC, at any time in our lifespan.

However, the time to judge this Liverpool team in the league is next season. It is almost impossible to take emotion and subjectivity out of supporting one’s team, especially given our run of late.

However, the fact of the matter is that Kenny has pretty much assembled a new team, an expensive one at that. But very few ‘new’ teams have gone on the challenge for a league title let alone win one, inconsistency is almost guaranteed in this scenario.

We have proved we can compete with the best, we need to find consistency and this comes with experience. I am as upset as anyone about our seemingly terminal slump, but do not let this blinker your view on the bigger picture.

Kenny has learnt a lot about his squad this year, players will be moved on and he will strengthen in the summer, let’s just hope he spends more wisely.

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The Editor

Alastair Machray

Alastair Machray was appointed editor of The Liverpool Echo in 2005 and is also editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. He is a former editor of The Daily Post (Wales and England) and editor-in-chief of the company's Welsh operations. Married dad-of-two and keen golfer Alastair is one of the longest-serving newspaper editors in the country. His titles have won numerous awards and spearheaded numerous successful campaigns.